approximant

[ uh-prok-suh-muh nt ]
/ əˈprɒk sə mənt /

noun Phonetics.

an articulation in which one articulator is close to another, but not sufficiently so to form a stop or a fricative.
a sound characterized by such an articulation, as (w), (y), (r), (l), or a vowel.

Origin of approximant